YEREVAN. – Azerbaijan is attempting to present the Nagorno-Karabakh (NK; Artsakh) conflict as a geopolitical, or a religious conflict.

Armen Ashotyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of Armenia, on Wednesday stated the aforementioned at the Seventeenth Meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.

“Taking into account the rise of the terrorist Islamic State, imagine how dangerous it would be if the Karabakh conflict would become a religious conflict; such a misconception should be prevented,” Ashotyan stressed. “It would be very dangerous if the civilized world doesn’t obstruct [Azerbaijan President] Ilham Aliyev and allows [him] to present this conflict as a religious conflict.”

In his words, people living in Artsakh need to enjoy the UN basic rights.

“We have to stress the need for their involvement in cultural, educational, environmental and other programs, of which these people are now deprived,” added Armen Ashotyan. “This status quo doesn’t enable the people of NK to take part, for example, in EU-funded projects.”